Obama claims he hasn't had a cigarette in 6 years -- or has he?
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Perhaps President Obama has kicked the smoking habit -- but he looks to be telling tall tales about how long it's been since his last puff.
The president was caught on camera Monday telling a U.N. official he hasn't had a cigarette in six years.
"I hope you quit smoking," Obama told Maina Kiai, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. "I haven't had a cigarette probably in six years. That's because I'm scared of my wife."
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Maybe it just felt like six years. According to statements made by his aides and his family, it's been more like three or four.
The president first admitted in a June 2009 press conference that he snuck a cigarette now and then, though at the time he was trying to quit.
Then in February 2010, his White House physician reported that the president was still smoking.
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It appears that sometime in early 2010, the president went cold turkey. The White House reported in December 2010 that Obama hadn't had a cigarette in nine months.
In February 2011, first lady Michelle Obama reported to the public that her husband hadn't had a cigarette in nearly a year.
If Obama has stuck with it since then, that's roughly three-and-a-half years since the last drag. Not quite six.
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The recording of the hot mic conversation at the U.N. was first captured by CNN.